Banjo



(No Model.)

BANJO.

5m we 3 mm 9 70 00 1 m m M r. P A M m n L n m 7: u P 0m 2 5 9 4 0 N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HGBART C. MIDDLEBROOKE, OF ROCK RAPIDS, IOXVA.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,823, dated April 18, 1893. Application filed August 12 1892. Serial No. 42,866. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOBART O. MIDDLE- BROOKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rock Rapids, in the county of Lyons, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos and Similar Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in banjos banjorenes and similar stringed musical instruments in which the fifth string is connected Wit-h a peg, in instruments of usual construction, located midway between the end of the finger board or neck of said instrument.

The purpose of the present invention is to locate the fifth peg at the head of the neck in a cluster with the other pegs to which the first strings are attached, thereby facilitating the fingering of the player in the upper positions and improving and adding to the appearance of the instruments.

' The improvement consists of the novel features and the peculiar construction and combination of the parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and which are shown in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the neck of a banjo or similar musical instrument of ordinary construction. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the application of my invention. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line XX of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a side View of a modification, parts being broken away.

In Fig. 1 the neck A having the head B at its outer end to which is applied the pegs F having the strings Gattached thereto, and the fifth or thumb string 0 passing through the eye (1 and attached to the peg E located midway between the end of the neck, are all of ordinary and well known construction and relative arrangement.

In Fig. 2 similar letters refer to corresponding parts of Fig. 1. This figure shows the peg E located on the head B and the fifth or thumb string 0 deflected at cl from the plane of the finger board and attached at its upper end to said peg E, thereby leaving the neck A unobstructed and facilitating the fingering of the performer. A groove or channel h may be provided between the finger board and the neck proper to receive that portion of the fifth or thumb string 0 which is located between the point I) and the peg E. This groove or channel extends through the head B at the point 2'. In some classes of instruments the string 0 will pass through the eye b to the under side of the neck and pass along said neck to the point t' where it will pass through the head B and be attached to the peg E. This form of construction is indicated in Fig. 4. In order that the upper portion of the string 0 may be out of the way it is preferred to provide a groove or channel in the under side of said neck to receive the upper portion of said string as indicated in Fig. Al.

By my invention the neck of musical instruments which are usually provided between their ends with a peg, is left unobstructed so that the performer will not be impeded when fingering on the upper portion of the finger board and when gliding rapidly along the same from the upper to the lower portions of the finger board and vice versa.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A banjo or similar stringed musical instrument having the peg to which the fifth or thumb string is attached located on the head and clustered with the pegs to which the other strings are attached, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. A banjo or similar stringed musical instrument having the fifth or thumb string adapted to be connected with a peg located on the head,and having its nodal point at the usual point, substantially as described for the purpose specified.

3. A banjo or similar stringed musical instrument having the fifth or thumb string defiected at d and connected with a peg located on the head, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with the neck of abanjo or similar musical instrument having an opening (1, and having a groove or channel ex tending from said opening to the head, of the site ends of said groove or channel, the peg E fifth or thumb string having its upper portion located on the head, and the fifth or thumb deflected by passing through said opening d, string having its upper portionlocated in said 15 and having its upper portion located in said groove or channel and connected with said groove or channel, and a peg located on the peg, substantially as and for the purpose set head to receive the upper end of said thumb forth.

or fifth string, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5. In a banjo or similar stringed musical inpresence of two witnesses. strument, the combination of the neck hav- HOBART O. MIDDLEBROOKE. [0 ing a groove or channel formed between the Witnesses:

finger board and the neck proper, and having MILLARD FAIRLAMB,

openings 1) and 1', respectively, at the oppo- A. G. BRADLEY. 

